Game



Sept; 11, 1928.

- T. E. CAHILL GAME Filed Nov. 26, 1927 &

171077701525. Cafii/l,

Patented Sept. 11, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. CAHILL, OF ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME.

Application filed November 26, 1927.- Serial No. 235,885.

In the game of checkers, it is a known fact that the expert always stands a much better chance of winning than the novice, and simr larly a father can practically always wm from his little son. This is due to the fact that, according to the rules of the game, both parties always start with the same number of players and in the same relative positions, so that regardless of which party makes the first move, the more experienced person can foresee the probable outcome of many moves on the part of the other, that to the latter are .pure chance and totally unexpected due to less experience.

In the present game, however, a board is used having the same number and arrangement of spaces as in theolder game, but sets of players are used which can be rolled about the board, until they rest individually upon as many different playing spaces, and for which reason each playing space is provided with a recessor aperture, each adapted to receive and retain a player as it rolls thereupon, whether it be of the color of one or the other of the parties playing. While the depressions or holes to receive the players may beformed in any manner, it is sufficient merely to punch therefrom the material of which Y the board is made, though when the board is made of heavy paper or cardboard it is practically as convenient to heat and press the same between dies, or the like, so that each playing space is provided with a cup, or similar form of depression.

Having these facts in mind, the invention is characterized by further details which are fully brought out in the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the in-' vention, with a number of players of the two sets in a characteristic series of positions; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the game primarily consists of a rectangular board 1, which is either rigid and lies permanently in a plane, or can be folded when desired and opened for the purpose of playing the game. The-board consists of player spaces 2 with wins the game.

intervening neutral spaces 3, said player spaces being provided with apertures i, or in fact any suitable type of depression or recess into which the sets of players 5 and 6 may be rolled by gravity upon tilting the board in various directions. .In fact, each playerspace maybe depressed or recessed throughout 1ts entire area and for this purpose, and

- because of the need of a generic term, the

claims hereto -appended refer to theplayer spaces as being providedv with depressions, apertures or recesses.

In order to make the game readily portable, the board may be'surrounded by a suitable box, having a bottom7, separated from the board at intervals by any suitable form of spacer means 8, and upwardly extending side walls 9, which in turn may be covered or bridged by any suitable type of lid or closure 10, surrounded by depending side walls 11.

This game is played exactly the same as the well-known game of checkers, except that as a preliminary to playing the game, the balls of opposing sets are placed in any arrangement upon the board, as by merely dropping them thereon, after which the board is tilted in various directions until each ball has seated itself within one of the many apertures, recesses, or depressions. These balls may be referred to as roundish, which is intended to comprise various shapes, such as cylmdrical, spherical, ellipsoidal, egg, and such shapes adapted to permit their being rolled by gravity upon the board Without manual propulsion. p

' It will also be noted that the players are of two sizes. The game is played at first in the usual manner,-by using the smaller size, for instance, and when it is necessary to crown a player king, or similar term, a player of the larger size 5' or 6 but of the same color is substituted for the smaller player, which in the usual game of checkers having discs would be crowned by placing a second disc upon it. Thus, an inexperienced person at the beginning of the game may find the players of his color in such positions as to give him a distinct advantage over the players of his opponent who, even with his greater experience, will find himself unable to overcome the handicap and the less experienced player In short, the game adds an element of chance to the existing element of skill which has always characterized the old and well-known parent game of checkers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The method of playing-checkers, which 5 consists in first rolllng sets of pla ers into player-space regions, without regar to regularity of arrangement, and then playing with said players according to the well-known rules governing checkers, using disc or loz- 10 enge players upon a board having an unbroken surfaceo 2. The method of playing checkers, which In testimony whereof I have aflixed my.

signature.

THOMAS E. CAHILL. 

